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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29607789">Hide and Seek</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkBlossom/pseuds/PinkBlossom'>PinkBlossom</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Collide - The Series [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Childhood Friends, Gen, Hide and Seek, One Shot, Papa Bear Jethro Gibbs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 03:09:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>980</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29607789</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkBlossom/pseuds/PinkBlossom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>One Shot from the Collide Series<br/>Gibbs is playing a game of hide and seek with Jenson and Eilidh</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jethro Gibbs/Original Female Character(s), Jethro Gibbs/orginal child characters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Collide - The Series [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143911</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hide and Seek</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>‘Seventeen,’</p>
<p>Despite not being able to see them, Jethro could still hear the giggling of the two young children, desperately searching for a hiding place and he couldn’t help but smile and the sweet sound. However so far, they’d wasted 17 seconds looking for somewhere to hide.</p>
<p>‘Eighteen.’</p>
<p>The giggling had subsided as the two youngsters seriously considered their hiding places and the sound of little footsteps were heard running away. All he could hear were the birds tweeting in the trees.</p>
<p>‘Nineteen,’</p>
<p>The voices were hushed. This was possibly because they’d disappeared inside. There were rules about where they were allowed to hide. His bedroom and the basement were strictly off limits. The backyard was fine but definitely not outside the front door.</p>
<p>‘Twenty, I’m comin’, ‘he shouted.</p>
<p>Removing his hands from his eyes, he was sure that neither child was in the backyard anymore. Max the dog was laying stretched out, enjoying the heat of the late morning sun and probably the temporary peace this game had afforded him.</p>
<p>Stepping into the house, stopping to take a moment to listen or for any unusual sounds. A floorboard above him creaked loudly. He allowed himself a small chuckle before slowly walking up the very creaky stairs, these kids were trying to hide from a federal agent very used to looking for people not wanting to be found. However, finding them in less than ten seconds wasn’t going to be much of a game so he took his time. At the top of the stairs, he noted that all the doors were firmly shut, a small sign that they had upped their gameplay and learnt from previous experience He went to Jenson’s bedroom first, tentatively opening the door and looking for any movement or sound that might giveaway where a child was hiding. Once confident the room was empty, he turned around to leave the room only for him to stop suddenly at the smallest of sounds. He pushed the door closed slightly and smiled at the sight of Jenson, trying to hide behind it.</p>
<p>Disappointed, the boy grabbed a book and sat on his bed reading. The deal was you couldn’t leave the room until the other hiders had been found. Jethro was impressed by the new-found hiding place and he winked at the boy before going in search of the remaining hider; Eilidh. He went straight to her room next, looking in all the usual places first but he was sure that the young girl was not hiding in her room. The next door was a cupboard. This was a favourite hiding place when they started playing this game but it had fallen out of favour lately as it was very dark and there could quite often be a spider found scuttling across the wall. A brief look in the cupboard eliminated this from the list. Opening the bathroom door, he took at quick look behind the shower curtain and decided she couldn’t be in there either so she must be downstairs he thought to himself as he walked back down the steps. In the lounge, he checked behind the couch and under the table but there was no sign of her. He heard the front door open; Mary was back from lunch.</p>
<p>‘Hey,’</p>
<p>‘Hey,’ he replied, still scanning the room for any sign of Eilidh.</p>
<p>Putting her bag down, Mary observed Jethro, wondering what he was looking for.</p>
<p>‘It’s quiet, where are the kids?’ she asked.</p>
<p>‘Jenson is reading in his room,’</p>
<p>‘And Eilidh?’ she enquired.</p>
<p>‘I’m not sure.’</p>
<p>‘What do you mean, you’re not sure?’</p>
<p>Jethro explained about the game of hide and seek and how Eilidh had, so far, evaded capture.</p>
<p>‘Well, I’m sure this isn’t going to be good for your reputation,’ she laughed.</p>
<p>Jethro smiled back, checking the rooms downstairs he hadn’t visited yet. He pulled a puzzled look as he walked back towards Mary.</p>
<p>‘She’s never going to let you forget this, Jethro!’ she teased as she went to the kitchen to make coffee.</p>
<p>With a roll of the eyes, the federal agent headed back upstairs and back to Eilidh’s room. He checked under the bed, in her wardrobe but there was still no sign of the girl. All he had was the sense that she was in the room, so he sat on the floor and waited. After a minute he heard the slightest noise from the wicker laundry basket. He got to his feet and gently removed the top of the basket. There, squeezed inside the basket was Eilidh.</p>
<p>‘How did you even get in there?’ the marine exclaimed.</p>
<p>‘I squashed myself in. It took you so long to find me!’ she said triumphantly, trying to unsquash herself out the container.</p>
<p>Seeing that getting out the basket was proving more problematic than getting in, Jethro lifted the child out, carrying her down the stairs, shouting at Jenson to join them.</p>
<p>‘Ah, there she is!’ Mary smiled.</p>
<p>The girl beamed a smile back, clearly feeling very pleased with herself.</p>
<p>‘That was ages, Eilidh!’ Jenson observed as he followed on down the stairs.</p>
<p>‘Yup. I think Eilidh wins that game. Took me far too long to find her,’ he pressed his lips to the little girl’s forehead before putting her down so she could run off and play with Jenson again.</p>
<p>Mary handed Jethro a cup of coffee.</p>
<p>‘For a moment there, I thought I’d lost her,’ Gibbs admitted.</p>
<p>‘Hmm, at least you didn’t have to call the police,’ Mary muttered, referencing the time Jenson had disappeared, only to be found asleep in Jethro’s basement.</p>
<p>Gibbs wrapped his arm around Mary, remembering the evening in question very well.</p>
<p>‘Yeah, maybe I should show her how to paint boats, might be a safer hobby,’ he joked, taking a sip of his coffee. ‘Although, I’m liking her quick thinking, she’d make a great marine.’</p>
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